A/N: I'm sorry this wasn't up sooner. I had a "situation" yesterday and
couldn't post it. But at least it gave me more time to work on it!
* * *
Ginny awoke and joined Hermione, and me in a little-sister way. She was our faithful follower, doing as we told her to do. The three of us quickly became well known in the vampire community.
Vampires tend to look down on the newest members of their kind. Hermione, Ginny and I hadn't even been vampires for a year. We were treated like second-class citizens in El Infierno, and just about every other city in the world. Despite the fact we were strong and powerful, we had little authority. The other vampires hated us with a passion, not only because we were so young, but also because they knew we could kill them so easily. It sounds vain, but it's true.
So we decided to leave El Infierno, and move to London. It has a large vampire community, and the closeness to the wizards strengthened our powers. Plus, it's packed with humans, aimlessly running around like a herd of cattle; a vampire's delight.
Unfortunately, you can never leave behind El Infierno. The vampire world is governed by few rules, and there is no vampire "king"; there is, however, The First. He is the first vampire, and is considered the strongest one in the world. When I broke one of his "rules", he summoned me- and I learned more about my origins than I ever wanted to know.
* * *
Ginny's coal black eyes traveled across the pub, where a young wizard sat with his girlfriend. The boy turned to her and met her gaze, smiling. She returned the smile, her eyes dropping to his neck.
~May I? ~ she asked silently, watching the boy like a fox would watch a rabbit.
~Enjoy yourself, Ginny, ~ I answered. The boy stood at the same moment Ginny did, and they both headed outside.
"Little Red Pretty's going away," Hermione moaned, leaning her head against my shoulder. "Goodbye, Ginny."
"She'll be back," I promised her, not liking to see My Girl upset. "Don't fret, Princess. We'll go get a snack until she returns." The two of us got up and left the pub, heading into Diagon Alley. It was about ten o'clock, and all the shops were beginning to close. Shoppers poured from the marketplace.
I set my sights on one drifting dreamily from the Astrologer's Market. She was old and bony, her black hair tinged with gray. The woman didn't seem to have any idea what was going on around her. A quick and easy kill.
~This way, ~ I ordered the old bat, urging her to follow the two of us down a dimly lit street. She followed mindlessly, until we stopped just beneath a street lamp. Snapping my fingers, the flame went out. The street was black.
The woman blinked, suddenly aware of what was going on again. "What-" Her gaze fell upon Hermione and I, and she gasped.
"Potter," she breathed. "I- I saw this. I saw you becoming a vampire, when I did your Tarot reading."
I frowned, not understanding. "Who are you?" I asked.
"The Hanged Man, the reversal of self," the stranger continued. "I showed you that card, do you remember?"
An image flashed into my head, of this woman presenting me a Tarot card of the Hanged Man. I turned to her. She watched me delightedly. "You remember it, Harry, I know you do," she said quickly, rushing her words together.
"She talks too much," Princess sighed. The woman's eyes traveled to Hermione, studying her ebony hair, lacy dress, and crimson lips. She looked over our victim. "Bet she's a screamer." Hermione smiled, flashing pearly fangs.
"No," she said, breathing heavily as she backed into a wall. "No, stop! This is what leads you to the end, Harry! I die, then the First. You must stop this before-"
~Sleep~, commanded Hermione, getting bored. Instantly the old woman slept, and didn't cry out as My Girl and I drank her dry.
"Quite a talkative one," Hermione commented. "I like it better when they scream. She should've screamed, then I could've broken her into itty pieces."
"You can break the next one, Princess," I told her, and we disappeared, leaving the seer's body behind.
* * *
We returned to our flat in London just as the sun rose, where Ginny sat waiting. "Where were you? I was back hours ago."
"Out for a morsel. Give Mummy a kiss," My Girl greeted her childe, who did as she was told and gave Hermione a peck on the cheek.
"A messenger came here before, Harry," Ginny added. "Looking for you."
"Me?" I replied, sitting down in one of the chairs. "Why me?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Something about a kill you made. Someone's upset. I didn't really listen." I scowled at her, but she ignored me.
Hermione looped her arms around my neck. "No one will hurt my Harry," she whimpered. She smiled. "No one but me, that is." Lifting her hand to my face, she took one of her fingernails and cut my cheek, quickly licking away the blood that trickled from the cut. It healed instantly.
"Let's go to bed, Princess," I said lazily, wandering into the bedroom. "I'm quite tired."
"Think you're tired now?" teased Hermione, following me in the room, shutting the door behind us.
* * *
After we'd had a nice little romp, we drifted off to sleep. However, I was quickly awakened when I felt a slap against my cheek. "Stop now, Hermione, it's late," I muttered.
"The First summons you," an unfamiliar voice commanded. I opened my eyes and looked up. In front of me stood a vampire, dressed in black silk robes. Furious, I sat up, pulling on my shirt.
"Ever heard of knocking? Lovely little invention," I said, miffed this vampire just entered my flat. I turned to Hermione, who lay next to me, still asleep. Quickly I pulled up her bed sheets to cover her chest up. "Who the hell is the First?"
The vampire, as prune dry and humorless as he seemed to be, cracked a smile. "I assumed you, Harry Potter, would know of the First," he said. "He wishes to see you now."
"What did I do?"
"The First will explain everything in time, Harry Potter." He continued to stand there, firm and immobile.
I sighed. "Princess," I said, nudging her awake. Hermione groaned softly. "Harry's got to go do some business. Stay and play with Ginny?"
"Mmm," Hermione agreed. "Kiss?"
I kissed her cheek and stood, pulling my pants on. "All right, then," I told the two vampires. "Bring me to him."
* * *
Within a moment I was standing inside a very dark chamber beside the two vampires, who instantly disappeared. It was lit only by the fire that crackled in the hearth in the corner of the room. Along the walls were bookshelves, crammed with tomes and texts of every kind. An empty chair sat beside the fireplace. Instantly I remembered this place; this was the mansion, the tallest building in El Infierno.
A figure suddenly appeared in the chair by the fire. "Harry Potter," a voice croaked, a male voice that sounded as if it hadn't been used in a while. "Welcome."
"What do you want with me?" I demanded to know.
"In time," the man rasped. "Come before me." Cautiously I walked over to the fireplace. Beside the fireside sat a very old vampire. He looked maybe eighteen, although he must've been several thousand years old. He had pure white skin, with a reddish stain around his mouth; his eyes were completely black, devoid of light or feeling. The First carried an abundance of power around him, like a wet wool blanket that made me feel small and weak. His coal eyes studied me carefully.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked me finally.
"The First vampire."
"Correct." He paused. "Do you know why I have called you here?"
"No, sir, that would be why I asked you." He bared a small smile at my insolence. A table appeared beside the chair, and with it four newspapers. I picked each one up. The headlines read the same: "Harry Potter Missing"; "Hogwarts Student Reported Missing"; "Third Student Disappearance in Six Months"; and the most recent, "Hogwarts Teacher Found Dead, Throat Rupture".
"The reason why vampires are not as easily defeated as other creatures, like ogres and giants," the First explained, "is because we can blend in with human society. We walk as they do, speak as they do, look as they do. Our kind cannot afford publicity."
"That's why you brought me here? Because I got us noticed?" I laughed. "Don't you get it? We're stronger than any human or wizard. They don't stand a chance against us."
"That is not all," the First said quietly. "You have asked in the past about your changing."
I felt a rush of blistering cold as he spoke. "How do you-"
"Thekla is one my favorites," he cut me off swiftly. "She said you wished to know why you were sired."
"I did," I admitted uneasily. "Once."
The First nodded easily. "These books are filled with prophecies," he told me, waving his hand about. "All that concern our kind. What will become of us in the coming years; who will lead us to victory; who will lead us to destruction." He eyed me sharply. "You, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, were going to lead us to destruction. So I ordered Thekla to make sure that didn't happen."
"I've always wanted to taste the Boy Who Lived." I remember hearing Thekla say that, right before she killed me. That's why she wouldn't tell me where she met me. I was going to destroy her kind, so she made me one of her kin.
"You are a strong young vampire, Harry Potter," the First said, bringing me out of my thoughts. He sensed my tension and smiled. "I confess, you are one of my favorite fledglings, so I am lenient- this time. But do not kill so openly again, or I will be forced to discipline you. Understand?"
"I understand," I answered softly. He waved his hand, and I was back in my bedroom. Hermione was awake now, brushing Ginny's rich red curls. She turned to face, beaming at me.
"You're home," she cooed, her hairbrush still twisting through Ginny's hair. "Did you have fun business?"
"Not particularly," I admitted, sitting down at the bed. "It was boring." That wasn't the correct word, though. Not "boring"; "enlightening", perhaps.
Hermione frowned sympathetically, and let go of Ginny's hair. She took my head and placed in on her shoulder. "Poor Harry," she whimpered. A smile broke out onto her face. "I know just the thing to cheer my boy up."
* * *
The sickening crack of a neck snapping filled my ears. I dropped the little boy on the ground, wiping my mouth with my sleeve. From behind me came Hermione, looping her arms around my neck. "See?" My Girl said endearingly, her arms looping around my neck. "I know what makes my Harry a happy boy."
"You know just the thing, Princess," I told her, kissing her cheek. Someone sighed loudly. I turned to Ginny, who stood sulking in the back of the alley. "What?"
"Nothing," she said in a tone that meant otherwise.
"Tell Mummy what's the matter," Hermione said tenderly.
Ginny frowned, extending her lower lip sadly. "I want a playmate like Harry," she complained.
"Well, then, let's find you one," Hermione told her. Looking down at the corpse of the little boy, I made it explode into flames, leaving behind a pile of ash.
"I want a bad boy," Ginny declared as the three of us strolled through Hogsmeade. "Some dangerous."
"But all the students are in the castle today, Ginny," I informed Ginny. "They're probably afraid of disappearing like you."
She frowned. "Like me?" Unlike me, Hermione and Ginny never questioned their siring. The girl shook her head, apparently shaking away her thoughts as well. "Well, could we go up to the school, then? Look for a nice boy." Both women looked at me, waiting for an answer. I bit my lip; as long as we didn't actually go in the school, we'd be fine.
"Alright with me," I agreed, and the three of us disappeared from Hogsmeade. We reappeared in the forest just on the edges of the school. Beyond the castle was a Quidditch stadium, where one of the school teams was practicing.
Ginny watched each Quidditch player fly through the air, studying each one. Finally, her dark eyes lit up when she spotted one she liked. "That one," she whispered, pointing to one boy who flew above the other six team members.
Hermione smiled. "He's a naughty one," she told us. Even I felt the dark aura around him, like a dark rain cloud. The athletes dropped to the ground, and began to head up to the castle. Ginny, her eyes still on her favorite, called him to us. A worried feeling filled my stomach, gnawing away at me that we might get in trouble.
The boy suddenly turned, looking towards the forest where we stood. He began to walk toward us cautiously, as if there was something back here he had to see. "Oh, goody," Ginny said quietly as her boy approached us.
I squinted at him. He looked familiar; tall, slim, pale, with blonde hair and gray eyes like chunks of ice. Removing our power, we allowed him to see us.
The boy backed away quickly. "Potter?" he began warily. I rolled my eyes. Seems like every bloody person we meet lately recognizes me! "Granger? Weasley?" His uneasiness lessened. "You chits don't look half- bad," he said with satisfaction. "What're you doing here?"
"I'm on the pull," Ginny explained with a smile, apparently undressing the boy with her eyes. She searched his mind for his name. "And I pick you, Draco." Her incisors lengthened to glimmering needles. The boy backed away.
"The lad's scared," My Girl told Ginny. "He wants to keep his blood in his veins. Tell him it'll go to better use in your body."
Draco fixed Hermione with a perplexed stare. "Bit off your head, aren't you Hermione?" My Wicked Princess frowned, walking to me and pulling me close to her. The boy still tried to get away, but Ginny stopped him with her mind. I watched Ginny hover over him as he stood there, weak and afraid.
I suddenly remembered when I turned Hermione. She'd been weak and afraid, a stupid little human girl. I'd frozen her with my mind, just like Ginny did to Draco. And just as Thekla did to me, in this very forest.
Closing my eyes, I pushed all my thoughts away. I wasn't human, and I didn't care who I used to be. I know who I am now, I told myself, and nothing else matters. There were only two things I cared about: blood and Hermione.
Draco cried out in pain as Ginny bit him to him. Hermione giggled and I stroked her soft brown hair. There were only two things I cared about: blood and Hermione. No one, not even the First, would get in the way of what I wanted. Right now, I wanted blood. Not just any normal, random back alley killing; a massacre.
* * *
Ginny awoke and joined Hermione, and me in a little-sister way. She was our faithful follower, doing as we told her to do. The three of us quickly became well known in the vampire community.
Vampires tend to look down on the newest members of their kind. Hermione, Ginny and I hadn't even been vampires for a year. We were treated like second-class citizens in El Infierno, and just about every other city in the world. Despite the fact we were strong and powerful, we had little authority. The other vampires hated us with a passion, not only because we were so young, but also because they knew we could kill them so easily. It sounds vain, but it's true.
So we decided to leave El Infierno, and move to London. It has a large vampire community, and the closeness to the wizards strengthened our powers. Plus, it's packed with humans, aimlessly running around like a herd of cattle; a vampire's delight.
Unfortunately, you can never leave behind El Infierno. The vampire world is governed by few rules, and there is no vampire "king"; there is, however, The First. He is the first vampire, and is considered the strongest one in the world. When I broke one of his "rules", he summoned me- and I learned more about my origins than I ever wanted to know.
* * *
Ginny's coal black eyes traveled across the pub, where a young wizard sat with his girlfriend. The boy turned to her and met her gaze, smiling. She returned the smile, her eyes dropping to his neck.
~May I? ~ she asked silently, watching the boy like a fox would watch a rabbit.
~Enjoy yourself, Ginny, ~ I answered. The boy stood at the same moment Ginny did, and they both headed outside.
"Little Red Pretty's going away," Hermione moaned, leaning her head against my shoulder. "Goodbye, Ginny."
"She'll be back," I promised her, not liking to see My Girl upset. "Don't fret, Princess. We'll go get a snack until she returns." The two of us got up and left the pub, heading into Diagon Alley. It was about ten o'clock, and all the shops were beginning to close. Shoppers poured from the marketplace.
I set my sights on one drifting dreamily from the Astrologer's Market. She was old and bony, her black hair tinged with gray. The woman didn't seem to have any idea what was going on around her. A quick and easy kill.
~This way, ~ I ordered the old bat, urging her to follow the two of us down a dimly lit street. She followed mindlessly, until we stopped just beneath a street lamp. Snapping my fingers, the flame went out. The street was black.
The woman blinked, suddenly aware of what was going on again. "What-" Her gaze fell upon Hermione and I, and she gasped.
"Potter," she breathed. "I- I saw this. I saw you becoming a vampire, when I did your Tarot reading."
I frowned, not understanding. "Who are you?" I asked.
"The Hanged Man, the reversal of self," the stranger continued. "I showed you that card, do you remember?"
An image flashed into my head, of this woman presenting me a Tarot card of the Hanged Man. I turned to her. She watched me delightedly. "You remember it, Harry, I know you do," she said quickly, rushing her words together.
"She talks too much," Princess sighed. The woman's eyes traveled to Hermione, studying her ebony hair, lacy dress, and crimson lips. She looked over our victim. "Bet she's a screamer." Hermione smiled, flashing pearly fangs.
"No," she said, breathing heavily as she backed into a wall. "No, stop! This is what leads you to the end, Harry! I die, then the First. You must stop this before-"
~Sleep~, commanded Hermione, getting bored. Instantly the old woman slept, and didn't cry out as My Girl and I drank her dry.
"Quite a talkative one," Hermione commented. "I like it better when they scream. She should've screamed, then I could've broken her into itty pieces."
"You can break the next one, Princess," I told her, and we disappeared, leaving the seer's body behind.
* * *
We returned to our flat in London just as the sun rose, where Ginny sat waiting. "Where were you? I was back hours ago."
"Out for a morsel. Give Mummy a kiss," My Girl greeted her childe, who did as she was told and gave Hermione a peck on the cheek.
"A messenger came here before, Harry," Ginny added. "Looking for you."
"Me?" I replied, sitting down in one of the chairs. "Why me?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Something about a kill you made. Someone's upset. I didn't really listen." I scowled at her, but she ignored me.
Hermione looped her arms around my neck. "No one will hurt my Harry," she whimpered. She smiled. "No one but me, that is." Lifting her hand to my face, she took one of her fingernails and cut my cheek, quickly licking away the blood that trickled from the cut. It healed instantly.
"Let's go to bed, Princess," I said lazily, wandering into the bedroom. "I'm quite tired."
"Think you're tired now?" teased Hermione, following me in the room, shutting the door behind us.
* * *
After we'd had a nice little romp, we drifted off to sleep. However, I was quickly awakened when I felt a slap against my cheek. "Stop now, Hermione, it's late," I muttered.
"The First summons you," an unfamiliar voice commanded. I opened my eyes and looked up. In front of me stood a vampire, dressed in black silk robes. Furious, I sat up, pulling on my shirt.
"Ever heard of knocking? Lovely little invention," I said, miffed this vampire just entered my flat. I turned to Hermione, who lay next to me, still asleep. Quickly I pulled up her bed sheets to cover her chest up. "Who the hell is the First?"
The vampire, as prune dry and humorless as he seemed to be, cracked a smile. "I assumed you, Harry Potter, would know of the First," he said. "He wishes to see you now."
"What did I do?"
"The First will explain everything in time, Harry Potter." He continued to stand there, firm and immobile.
I sighed. "Princess," I said, nudging her awake. Hermione groaned softly. "Harry's got to go do some business. Stay and play with Ginny?"
"Mmm," Hermione agreed. "Kiss?"
I kissed her cheek and stood, pulling my pants on. "All right, then," I told the two vampires. "Bring me to him."
* * *
Within a moment I was standing inside a very dark chamber beside the two vampires, who instantly disappeared. It was lit only by the fire that crackled in the hearth in the corner of the room. Along the walls were bookshelves, crammed with tomes and texts of every kind. An empty chair sat beside the fireplace. Instantly I remembered this place; this was the mansion, the tallest building in El Infierno.
A figure suddenly appeared in the chair by the fire. "Harry Potter," a voice croaked, a male voice that sounded as if it hadn't been used in a while. "Welcome."
"What do you want with me?" I demanded to know.
"In time," the man rasped. "Come before me." Cautiously I walked over to the fireplace. Beside the fireside sat a very old vampire. He looked maybe eighteen, although he must've been several thousand years old. He had pure white skin, with a reddish stain around his mouth; his eyes were completely black, devoid of light or feeling. The First carried an abundance of power around him, like a wet wool blanket that made me feel small and weak. His coal eyes studied me carefully.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked me finally.
"The First vampire."
"Correct." He paused. "Do you know why I have called you here?"
"No, sir, that would be why I asked you." He bared a small smile at my insolence. A table appeared beside the chair, and with it four newspapers. I picked each one up. The headlines read the same: "Harry Potter Missing"; "Hogwarts Student Reported Missing"; "Third Student Disappearance in Six Months"; and the most recent, "Hogwarts Teacher Found Dead, Throat Rupture".
"The reason why vampires are not as easily defeated as other creatures, like ogres and giants," the First explained, "is because we can blend in with human society. We walk as they do, speak as they do, look as they do. Our kind cannot afford publicity."
"That's why you brought me here? Because I got us noticed?" I laughed. "Don't you get it? We're stronger than any human or wizard. They don't stand a chance against us."
"That is not all," the First said quietly. "You have asked in the past about your changing."
I felt a rush of blistering cold as he spoke. "How do you-"
"Thekla is one my favorites," he cut me off swiftly. "She said you wished to know why you were sired."
"I did," I admitted uneasily. "Once."
The First nodded easily. "These books are filled with prophecies," he told me, waving his hand about. "All that concern our kind. What will become of us in the coming years; who will lead us to victory; who will lead us to destruction." He eyed me sharply. "You, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, were going to lead us to destruction. So I ordered Thekla to make sure that didn't happen."
"I've always wanted to taste the Boy Who Lived." I remember hearing Thekla say that, right before she killed me. That's why she wouldn't tell me where she met me. I was going to destroy her kind, so she made me one of her kin.
"You are a strong young vampire, Harry Potter," the First said, bringing me out of my thoughts. He sensed my tension and smiled. "I confess, you are one of my favorite fledglings, so I am lenient- this time. But do not kill so openly again, or I will be forced to discipline you. Understand?"
"I understand," I answered softly. He waved his hand, and I was back in my bedroom. Hermione was awake now, brushing Ginny's rich red curls. She turned to face, beaming at me.
"You're home," she cooed, her hairbrush still twisting through Ginny's hair. "Did you have fun business?"
"Not particularly," I admitted, sitting down at the bed. "It was boring." That wasn't the correct word, though. Not "boring"; "enlightening", perhaps.
Hermione frowned sympathetically, and let go of Ginny's hair. She took my head and placed in on her shoulder. "Poor Harry," she whimpered. A smile broke out onto her face. "I know just the thing to cheer my boy up."
* * *
The sickening crack of a neck snapping filled my ears. I dropped the little boy on the ground, wiping my mouth with my sleeve. From behind me came Hermione, looping her arms around my neck. "See?" My Girl said endearingly, her arms looping around my neck. "I know what makes my Harry a happy boy."
"You know just the thing, Princess," I told her, kissing her cheek. Someone sighed loudly. I turned to Ginny, who stood sulking in the back of the alley. "What?"
"Nothing," she said in a tone that meant otherwise.
"Tell Mummy what's the matter," Hermione said tenderly.
Ginny frowned, extending her lower lip sadly. "I want a playmate like Harry," she complained.
"Well, then, let's find you one," Hermione told her. Looking down at the corpse of the little boy, I made it explode into flames, leaving behind a pile of ash.
"I want a bad boy," Ginny declared as the three of us strolled through Hogsmeade. "Some dangerous."
"But all the students are in the castle today, Ginny," I informed Ginny. "They're probably afraid of disappearing like you."
She frowned. "Like me?" Unlike me, Hermione and Ginny never questioned their siring. The girl shook her head, apparently shaking away her thoughts as well. "Well, could we go up to the school, then? Look for a nice boy." Both women looked at me, waiting for an answer. I bit my lip; as long as we didn't actually go in the school, we'd be fine.
"Alright with me," I agreed, and the three of us disappeared from Hogsmeade. We reappeared in the forest just on the edges of the school. Beyond the castle was a Quidditch stadium, where one of the school teams was practicing.
Ginny watched each Quidditch player fly through the air, studying each one. Finally, her dark eyes lit up when she spotted one she liked. "That one," she whispered, pointing to one boy who flew above the other six team members.
Hermione smiled. "He's a naughty one," she told us. Even I felt the dark aura around him, like a dark rain cloud. The athletes dropped to the ground, and began to head up to the castle. Ginny, her eyes still on her favorite, called him to us. A worried feeling filled my stomach, gnawing away at me that we might get in trouble.
The boy suddenly turned, looking towards the forest where we stood. He began to walk toward us cautiously, as if there was something back here he had to see. "Oh, goody," Ginny said quietly as her boy approached us.
I squinted at him. He looked familiar; tall, slim, pale, with blonde hair and gray eyes like chunks of ice. Removing our power, we allowed him to see us.
The boy backed away quickly. "Potter?" he began warily. I rolled my eyes. Seems like every bloody person we meet lately recognizes me! "Granger? Weasley?" His uneasiness lessened. "You chits don't look half- bad," he said with satisfaction. "What're you doing here?"
"I'm on the pull," Ginny explained with a smile, apparently undressing the boy with her eyes. She searched his mind for his name. "And I pick you, Draco." Her incisors lengthened to glimmering needles. The boy backed away.
"The lad's scared," My Girl told Ginny. "He wants to keep his blood in his veins. Tell him it'll go to better use in your body."
Draco fixed Hermione with a perplexed stare. "Bit off your head, aren't you Hermione?" My Wicked Princess frowned, walking to me and pulling me close to her. The boy still tried to get away, but Ginny stopped him with her mind. I watched Ginny hover over him as he stood there, weak and afraid.
I suddenly remembered when I turned Hermione. She'd been weak and afraid, a stupid little human girl. I'd frozen her with my mind, just like Ginny did to Draco. And just as Thekla did to me, in this very forest.
Closing my eyes, I pushed all my thoughts away. I wasn't human, and I didn't care who I used to be. I know who I am now, I told myself, and nothing else matters. There were only two things I cared about: blood and Hermione.
Draco cried out in pain as Ginny bit him to him. Hermione giggled and I stroked her soft brown hair. There were only two things I cared about: blood and Hermione. No one, not even the First, would get in the way of what I wanted. Right now, I wanted blood. Not just any normal, random back alley killing; a massacre.